Success at Product Design + Innovation Conference

By Haughton Design Ltd
schedule31st May 12

David Mills, Managing Director of design development consultancy Haughton Design, was amongst a series of high profile speakers such as McLaren Automotive, Samsung, Hewlett Packard, Phillips & Orange at the Product Design + Innovation Conference 2012.

Mills provided a real insight into designing for manufacture, shaking up the conference speaking on the topic of ‘a recipe for innovation; real collaboration between engineers and industrial designers.’ Having been apprentice trained, Mills has a slightly different approach to other design companies and was concerned about the current disconnect within the design industry. “There is no getting away from the fact that design is directly linked to manufacture. If we don’t ensure that out designs are fit for manufacture, then my belief is that UK design will suffer as manufacturers and suppliers look for practical design and engineering solutions abroad.” 

Detailed case studies, of Simba’s TL350 stubble cultivator and Terrafix’s enclosure range were provided, highlighting how the team of designers and engineers work in harmony to deliver products which not only appeal to the customer, but are practical to manufacture. Mills noted that the success of Simba’s project was due to “extensive knowledge of fabrication techniques which resulted in a design that was both aesthetically striking and cost effective to manufacture.”

Mills concluded his talk by encouraging a more practical and collaborative approach to design and engineering. “We need to build teams with complementary skills, rather than a silo approach with specific departments or teams. A recipe for innovation is useless without the ingredients; it’s up to us all to make sure we have the people needed to deliver the growth that we all desire.”

Matt Sinclair, Visiting Tutor at Birmingham City University and Creative Director of Matt Sinclair Design praised the talk, noting that “David Mills brought some engineering design realism to the conference.”